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CUBA NEWS

CUBA NEWS

Cuba plane crash kills 68
November 5, 2010 A state airliner filled with Cubans and travelers from Europe and Latin America crashed and burst into flames in a mountainous area after declaring an emergency and losing contact with air traffic controllers.
All 40 Cubans and 28 foreigners aboard died.
AeroCaribbean Flight 883 was en route from the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba to the capital when it reported an emergency, then lost contact with air traffic controllers.
The pilot had radioed that the plane was having problems.
One witness described the wreckage as "a ball of flame in the middle of the mountain."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40018650/ns/world_news-americashttp://www.foxnews.com/world/2010.../report-plane-aboard-crashes-cuba

The Next Cuban Revolution?
April 2012 As the winds of change swirled during the Arab Spring over the past year, many began to wonder whether there might be a similar movement in Cuba — a "Cuban Spring."
While visiting Cuba to cover the visit of Pope Benedict, we spent time with students at a University cafeteria, and in speaking with them it was clear that they know they want a better, different life, but they're isolated to what's happening off their shores.

While the internet and social media did not cause the uprising across the Arab world, they were vital as an electronic billboard for the organizers, and also to spread the news of political change. In Cuba, young people lack access to Facebook or Twitter, as private citizens are prohibited from purchasing computers without special authorization from the government.
Would such a uprising shatter the political façade of one of the bastions of communism today? We delve into this complex question.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/aroun...t-cuban-revolution-022037616.html

Cuba's Raul Castro mentions possible retirement
Feb. 2013 HAVANA — Cuban President Raul Castro has unexpectedly raised the possibility of leaving his post, saying Friday that he is old and has a right to retire. But he did not say when he might do so or if such a move was imminent. The Cuban leader is scheduled to be sworn in to a new five-year term on Sunday. Castro urged reporters to listen to his speech that day.

"I am going to be 82 years old," Castro said at a joint appearance with visiting Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. "I have the right to retire, don't you think?"
When reporters continued to shout questions about his plans for the next five years, Castro replied: "Why are you so incredulous?"
http://news.yahoo.com/cubas-raul-...ossible-retirement-152153266.html

CJ

Cuba to eliminate currency pegged to dollar
Dec. 20, 2013 HAVANA (AP) - Cuba will eliminate a currency pegged to the dollar as part of a move to end its unique double-currency system, which had become a symbol of economic inequality to many islanders, Cuba's top economic official said.

Tourists currently use a convertible peso roughly equal to a U.S. dollar while most Cubans are paid in ordinary pesos worth about four cents. Many goods are easier to find in government stores that exclusively accept convertible pesos, a mechanism designed to keep the flow of the special currency under government control.

The dual system has created special privileges for Cubans who work in tourism, and resentment among those who don't.
The government of President Raul Castro pledged in October to gradually unify the two currencies in order to prevent shocks like spikes in inflation. Many Cuban economists said the process would take years.

Vice President Marino Murillo told parliament that the peso pegged to the dollar, known as the CUC, would eventually disappear, the first time the government has explicitly said that. He promised that savings in the convertible pesos would retain their value until the change took place.

"People who have the convertible Cuban peso (CUC), whether in the banks or kept at home, will not lose any financial capacity when the dual monetary system is eliminated," said Murillo.
He did not say when the change would go into effect.

The double monetary system was established in 1994 amid an economic crisis sparked by the fall of the Soviet Union, which heavily subsidized Cuba for decades.
It was designed to allow Cuba to receive hard currency needed for international trade from the outside world while insulating the rest of the communist economy from market influences.

In October, the official newspaper Granma said that the government's first step would be to allow several businesses that currently accept only convertible pesos, or CUCs, to do business in ordinary Cuban pesos, or CUPs.
The official exchange rate will remain in effect, Granma said, meaning the goods themselves will remain out of reach for Cubans without access to the foreigner exchange-driven economy, which includes millions of dollars a year in remittances from relatives in the United States and other countries.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stor...ULT&CTIME=2013-12-20-21-24-51

CJ

Cuba calls for civilised relations with USA
Dec 22, 2013 Cuban President Raul Castro has called for "civilised relations" with the United States, saying the two countries should respect their differences.
President Castro said the US should drop its demand for regime change on the communist-run island.
That would allow both sides to continue work on improving relations, he said.
Castro's comments follow a public handshake with Obama at the memorial ceremony for Nelson Mandela in South Africa earlier this month.

In a rare public speech, Mr Castro said Cuban and American officials had met several times over the last year to discuss practical matters, such as immigration and the re-establishment of a postal service.
That shows that relations can be civilised, Mr Castro explained.
But he warned: "If we really want to make progress in bilateral relations, we have to learn to respect each other's differences and get used to living peacefully with them. Otherwise, no. We are ready for another 55 years like the last."

The US broke off relations with in 1961 after the revolution and maintains an economic embargo against the island.
"We do not ask the United States to change its political and social system, nor do we agree to negotiate over ours," Mr Castro told legislators at the closing session of the parliament in the capital, Havana.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25479795

CJ

Putin meets Fidel Castro
July 12, 2014 HAVANA - Russian President Vladimir Putin met Fidel and Raul Castro in Cuba Friday to begin a tour of Latin America.
Putin will also visit Argentina and Brazil for a summit of the BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Putin is also promoting Russian trade with Cuba.
Russian oil seeks to explore for offshore oil.
http://www.newsweek.com/putin-mee...-start-latin-american-tour-258544

NOTES
Venezuela has oil wells in the Carribean. To have Russia in that area so close to USA is disturbing. Russian nuclear subs have been caught off shore USA.

CJ

Russia 'to reopen Cold War Cuban listening post used to spy on America'
July 16, 2014 Facility at Lourdes was the largest Russian listening post abroad
It was mothballed in 2001 after relations with the U.S. warmed
But relations with the West have deteriorated amid the Ukraine crisis
Moscow has also shown a new interest in Latin America and Cuba
Last week, Russia agreed to write off 90 per cent of Cuba's debt

Russia has agreed to reopen a major Cold War listening post on Cuba that was used to spy on America, it was reported today.
Moscow-based daily Kommersant claimed Russia and Cuba have struck a deal 'in principle' after President Vladimir Putin visited the island last week.
Citing several sources within Russian authorities, the respected daily wrote: 'The agreements were finalised while President Vladimir Putin visited Havana.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/a...tening-post-used-spy-America.html

CJ

Obama lifts sanctions and opens US embassy in Cuba
December 17, 2014 - Barack Obama said the US is initiating plans to rebuild its relationship with Cuba and will open an embassy in Havana, authorize sales and exports between nations and make changes to current travel laws that for decades have restricted traffic between the two countries.
http://rt.com/usa/215331-obama-cuba-policy-embassy

CJ

New USA - Cuba rules
January 16, 2015 - New travel and trade rules between the US and Cuba take effect. The move implements ties severed since 1961. The changes were announced despite concerns from Congress that the landmark shift in U.S.-Cuba relations is a one-sided deal that will benefit the Castro regime.

US ban on Cuban cigars is over.
Measures include allowing US citizens to use credit cards in Cuba and for US businesses to export some technologies.

Havana (AFP) - US and Cuban officials claimed a good first day in historic talks in Havana on Wednesday despite disagreements over migration policies ahead of negotiations to restore diplomatic ties.

Each side described the first of two days of talks as productive and constructive even though they remained deeply at odds over the exodus of Cubans to the United States.

It was the first meeting in Havana since the momentous decision by US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro in December to seek normal ties.

Roberta Jacobson, the US assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, became the highest-ranking American official to set foot in Cuba since 1980 when she landed in Havana around midday.

She was due to meet Cuban counterparts for a working dinner one the eve of talks aimed at negotiating the reopening of embassies in Havana and Washington, a US official said.

In Washington, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the two sides still have much to negotiate before the Cold War rivals can normalize ties frozen since 1961.

"When it is timely, when it is appropriate, I'll look forward to traveling to Cuba in order to formally open an embassy and begin to move forward," Kerry told reporters.

A Cuban foreign ministry official sought to downplay expectations of major breakthroughs this week.

"We can't expect that everything will be resolved in one meeting," the official said, according to state media, adding that normalizing ties was "a much longer and complex process."

- Migration dispute -

Jacobson's deputy, Alex Lee, represented the US side on the first day of talks in the capital's Convention Center, sitting across from the head of the Cuban foreign ministry's US affairs department, Josefina Vidal.

"The productive and collaborative nature of today's discussion proves that despite the clear differences that remain between our countries, the United States and Cuba can find opportunities to advance our mutually shared interests," Lee said after the talks.

For her part, Vidal said: "Cuba aspires to have a normal relationship with the United States, in the broader sense but also in the area of migration."

But Vidal criticized US migration policies which she said encourage a brain drain, saying that they "don't correspond with the current bilateral context of relations between Cuba and the United States."

The migration talks tackled an issue that has vexed both nations for years, with Cubans regularly hopping on rickety boats to reach Florida, 145 kilometers (90 miles) away.

US policy gives Cubans who set foot in the United States quick access to permanent residency while those caught at sea are deported back to their island.

The United States has seen a surge of Cuban migrants who apparently fear that the US-Cuba negotiations will end the policy. The number of sea intercepts doubled in December compared to the previous year.

But Lee said the Obama administration was "completely committed" to upholding the current rules.

For Thursday's embassy talks, the US side wants Cuba to reaccredit its diplomats, lift travel restrictions for them within the island, ease shipments to the US mission and lift a cap on personnel.

Both nations currently have "interests sections" in each other's capitals.

- Obama wants embargo lifted -

Ordinary Cubans hope the rapprochement will improve their lives in a country where supermarket shelves often lack basic goods and people make $20 a month on average.

On the eve of the talks, Obama urged the Congress to end the decades-long embargo against Cuba, which the Castro regime has blamed for the country's economic woes.

The island's dissident community has had a mixed reaction, thanking Obama for his attempt to improve their country while voicing concern that too much was conceded to the Castro regime without getting much in return.

In Washington, some US lawmakers of Cuban origin have criticized Obama's decision, saying the administration had conceded too much without getting much in return in terms of human rights.

"As the administration pursues further engagement with Cuba, I urge you to link the pace of changes in US policy to reciprocal action from the Castro regime," said Senator Bob Menendez, a fellow Democrat.

The two countries have already taken steps to thaw their once glacial relations.

The Cuban government completed this month the release of 53 political prisoners demanded by Washington.

Days later, the US Treasury Department eased travel and trade restrictions, though the US Congress has final word on lifting the embargo, which prevents US tourism.

CJ

Russian spy ship in Havana on eve of US-Cuba talks
January 22, 2015 - Havana A Russian intelligence warship docked in Havana on Tuesday, a day before the start of historic US-Cuba talks aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations.

There was nothing stealthy about the arrival of the Viktor Leonov CCB-175, which was moored to a pier in Old Havana where cruise ships often dock. But the visit was not officially announced by Cuban authorities.

US officials in Washington played down the presence of the Russian vessel, saying it was perfectly legal and not at all out of the ordinary.
"It's not unprecedented. It's not unusual. It's not alarming," a defense official told AFP.

The Vishnya or Meridian-class intelligence ship, which has a crew of around 200, went into service in the Black Sea in 1988 before it was transferred seven years later to the northern fleet, according to Russian media.

The vessel previously docked in Havana in February and March last year, staying there for a few days. Those visits were also unannounced.

Erdogan wants a mosque in Havana Cuba
February 13, 2015 - Last November, Erdogan said Muslims had reached the Americas in the 12th century, before Columbus. lol
Erdogan has proposed the construction of a mosque in Cuba.
Erdogan said the Cuban government had agreed with Saudi Arabia on a similar project.

Erdogan's assertion that Muslims reached pre-Columbian Americas was based on a reference to a mosque-like formation at the top of a mountain in Columbus' diary of his voyages. He told the conference in November "a mosque today would suit the top of that mountain."
Most scholars believe that reference was to a natural mountain feature rather than an actual mosque.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/...m-build-a-mosque-in-Havana-390833

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cuban and U.S. officials held a second round of talks on Friday toward normalizing ties and both sides said they made good progress, although they did not set a date for renewal of diplomatic relations that Washington severed 54 years ago.

Going into the talks, Communist-ruled Cuba pushed to be removed from a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. But Washington said that while it was reviewing Cuba's place on the list, the designation should not be linked to the negotiations on renewing relations and opening embassies.

The head of Cuba's delegation to the talks, Josefina Vidal, said removal from the terrorism list was not a pre-condition for renewal of diplomatic ties, but she added that it was a "very important issue" and a priority for Cuba.

The talks in Washington stemmed from the historic decision announced by the two Cold War era foes last December to work to normalize relations, including opening embassies in each other's countries, and to exchange prisoners.

"We have made progress," Vidal, chief of the Cuban foreign ministry's U.S. division, told reporters after the discussions, which followed a first round of talks in Havana last month.

She said there was no date yet for the next meeting on the renewal of ties, but the two sides were going to maintain contact and she was optimistic there would be more advances in coming weeks on the issue of the terrorism list.

Havana says U.S. sanctions on banks that do business with designated countries on the list impede it from conducting diplomatic affairs in the United States. The two countries, politically at odds since soon after Cuba's revolution in 1959, currently do business via interests sections in each other's capitals.

The United States is hoping to reach agreement on reopening embassies in time for an April 10-11 regional summit in Panama, where U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro could meet for the first time since announcing their joint agreement on Dec. 17.

The head of the U.S. delegation at the talks, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, told reporters in reply to a question: "I do think we can get this done in time for the Summit of the Americas."

'PRODUCTIVE AND ENCOURAGING'

Jacobson called Friday's talks "productive and encouraging." She noted that Cuba and the United States would hold a series of exchanges in coming weeks on issues including the United States working with Cuba on increasing its capacity for Internet connectivity.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said re-establishing diplomatic relations was a technical process involving a set of "fairly normal" negotiations, while the terrorism sponsorship designation was a separate process and "not a negotiation.

"It is an evaluation that is made under a very strict set of requirements, congressionally mandated, and that has to be pursued separately, and it is being pursued separately," Kerry told reporters. He added that "nothing will be done with respect to the list until the evaluation is completed.”

The Obama administration is nearing completion of its review of Cuba's place on the list, which must be submitted to Congress before Cuba's name can be removed, a senior State Department official told reporters on Wednesday.

Cuba was added to the terrorism sponsors list in 1982, when it aided Marxist insurgencies during the Cold War. But it is currently aiding a peace process with Colombia's left-wing FARC guerrillas.

Following December's announcement, the Obama administration lifted a series of limitations on trade and travel last month and the U.S. president, a Democrat, called for an end to the decades-old economic embargo on Cuba. The embargo would have to be lifted by the Republican-controlled Congress, overcoming resistance from some members fiercely opposed to the rapprochement.

CJ

USA re-establishes phone link with Cuba
March 12, 2015 - United States and Cuba re-establish a direct telephone link for the first time since 1999.
Calls can now be made directly from the United States to Cuba and vice versa, without passing through a third country. Around two million Cuban-Americans live in the United States.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192497#.VQFYKnzF8dU

Christianity in CUBA
April 12, 2015 - A shipment of 83,723 Spanish-language Bibles are headed for Cuba and will be distributed to Baptist churches in Cuba to keep up with growth of Christianity. IMB is distributing them this week to various churches throughout Cuba. Since the Cuban government amended its Constitution in 1992, declaring it a secular instead of an atheist state, religious activities have been given room to grow and flourish.
http://www.christianpost.com/news...ble-growth-of-christianity-136042

CJ

Florida-Cuba ferry service
May 6, 2015 - Passenger ferries may run between Florida and Cuba for the first time in 50 years after the US government approved new services. Washington announced the restoration of diplomatic ties in 2014 December, and has now lifted the ban and some ferry companies say they have been given licences.

If all goes smoothly this could be up and running by September.
Havana Ferry Partners of Fort Lauderdale, Florida said it had a licence.
Ferries will also be allowed to transport cargo to Cuba.
JetBlue announced new charter flight service from New York City.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-32602923

Cuban President Raul Castro has praised Pope Francis for brokering the restoration of relations between Cuba and the US, announced in December.
At the end of an audience at the Vatican, Mr Castro said he had thanked the Pope for his contribution for the historic rapprochement.

Secret negotiations to put an end to more than five decades of hostilities were carried out inside the Vatican.

The Pope will visit Cuba on his way to the US in September.

"I am very happy. I have come here to thank him for what he has done to begin solving the problems of the United States and Cuba," said Mr Castro.

The communist leader had stopped at the Vatican after attending Russia's World War Two Victory Day in Moscow.

After the audience with the Pope, Mr Castro said he was so impressed by a Vatican audience with Pope Francis that he might return to the faith he was born into.

Mr Castro praised the pontiff's wisdom, adding: "I will resume praying and turn to the Church again if the Pope continues in this vein."

The Catholic Church has maintained ties with Havana since the 1959 revolution.

The fact that the man who helped lead the Cuban Revolution would even joke about returning to the Catholic Church shows just how far the relationship between Havana and the Vatican has moved forward recently.

That has been particularly true under Pope Francis. First, the Pontiff played a crucial role in smoothing the path to negotiations between Cuba and the US over the past 18 months. Furthermore, he has given his blessing to the process and to the Cuban government by arranging to come to Cuba in September before his visit to the US.

As a Latin American himself, Pope Francis has always been able to maintain good ties with Latin American leaders from both the left and the right. He has repeatedly called for the US trade embargo on Cuba to be lifted, for example.

Now he has hosted, and seemingly wooed, Raul Castro in Rome strengthening the ties even further. Hardly surprising Mr Castro is considering returning to Mass!

But the state-run newspaper Granma omitted Mr Castro's comments about returning to the Church when it reported the meeting on its website. A reflection, perhaps, of how surprising it is for Cubans to hear Mr Castro make such comments, whether tongue-in-cheek or not.

For Pope Francis, the restoration of relations between the US and Cuba has been a major diplomatic achievement, says the BBC's David Willey in Rome.

The US had imposed a trade embargo after Cuba's revolution, which it began to lift late last year.

After the 50-minute private audience on Sunday, Mr Castro told reporters: "The pontiff is a Jesuit, and I, in some way, am too. I studied at Jesuit schools."

After suggesting he might turn again to the Church, he added: "I mean what I say."

Both Mr Castro and his brother, revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, were baptised as Roman Catholics, but most Church activities were suppressed after the revolution.

Francis will be the third Pope to travel to Cuba, following visits there by John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012.

Hellfire in Cuba!?
Jan 8, 2016 - 0bama's gift. Missing U.S. missile shows up in Cuba
The inert Hellfire missile was sent to Europe for a training exercise, but showing up in Cuba sparks concerns over loss of military technology. It was wrongly shipped from Europe to Cuba in 2014.

Hellfires are air-to-ground missiles, often fired from helicopters.
U.S. officials worry that Cuba could share the sensors and targeting technology inside it with nations like China, North Korea or Russia.
The Cuban government refuses to return the missile.
Didn’t we ‘accidentally’ drop weapons to ISIS? - Yes, in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Remember the drone that Iran ‘captured’ intact?
Once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action.
Obama is deliberately arming our enemies
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3381118/posts

CJ

Hellfire in Cuba!?
Jan 8, 2016 - 0bama's gift. Missing U.S. missile shows up in Cuba
The inert Hellfire missile was sent to Europe for a training exercise, but showing up in Cuba sparks concerns over loss of military technology. It was wrongly shipped from Europe to Cuba in 2014.

Hellfires are air-to-ground missiles, often fired from helicopters.
U.S. officials worry that Cuba could share the sensors and targeting technology inside it with nations like China, North Korea or Russia.
The Cuban government refuses to return the missile.
Didn’t we ‘accidentally’ drop weapons to ISIS? - Yes, in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Remember the drone that Iran ‘captured’ intact?
Once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action.
Obama is deliberately arming our enemies
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3381118/posts

HAVANA (AP) — The United States and Cuba have signed an agreement to resume commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades, starting the clock on dozens of new flights operating daily by next fall.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Cuban Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo Rodríguez signed the deal in a ceremony at Havana's Hotel Nacional on Tuesday morning.

The U.S. airlines can now start bidding on routes for as many as 110 U.S.-Cuba flights a day — more than five times the current number. All flights operating between the two countries today are charters.

The agreement allows 20 regular daily U.S. flights to Havana, in addition to the current 10-15 charter flights a day. The rest would be to other Cuban cities.

Obama Sides With Communist Castro In Cuba Says Criticism Of America Is Valid

"President Castro, I think, has pointed out that in his view making sure that everybody is getting a decent education or health care, has basic security and old age, that those things are human rights as well. I personally would not disagree with him," Obama said.
3/21/16

President Obama said that he “personally would not disagree” with some of Cuban President Raul Castro’s criticisms of America

“President Castro, I think, has pointed out that in his view making sure that everybody is getting a decent education or health care, has basic security and old age, that those things are human rights as well. I personally would not disagree with him,” Obama said.

“But it doesn’t detract from some of these other concerns. And the goal of the human rights dialogue is not for the United States to dictate to Cuba how they should govern themselves, but to make sure that we are having a frank and candid conversation around this issue. And hopefully that we can learn from each other.”

Associated Press reporter Peter Orsi said there was a “collective gasp” in the press room when Obama paused in front of the Che Guevara sculpture in Revolution Square:

This is one of the proudest moments in his failed presidency, to happily stand for a photo-op in front of radical revolutionary Che Guevara. I wonder if Bill Ayers is hiding somewhere in the background.

After a joint press conference with President Obama in Cuba, Raul Castro shook hands with the United States leader and tried to lift the arm of the president in a triumphant salute.

But Obama’s hand and wrist went limp as Castro lifted it up, making for an awkward exchange at the end of their historic press conference.

This photo perfectly summarizes everything that Obama stands for: a limp-wristed handshake with a Communist who is easily controlling him and the entire event.

Pathetic, and gut-wrenchingly accurate.

CJ

Thanks BA - I couldnt stop puking long enuf to post that!

BornAgain2

PayPal Boycotts U.S. State Over Human Rights but is Happy to Expand to Cuba
Let's make that ChePal.

More liberal hypocrisy is exposed as the layers of this story are peeled back.

As TruthRevolt reported on Tuesday, PayPal has decided that men's and women's restrooms are discriminatory to transgender individuals and therefore it won't expand business to the state of North Carolina because of the state law that prohibits people from using the bathroom of their opposite sex.

However, last month the online payment company was more than pleased to announce an expansion to that bastion for human rights, Cuba.

By the end of this year, PayPal hopes its global money transferring service called Xoom will be up and running in the communist country. DigitalTrends.com reports:

While in Cuba, [PayPal president Dan] Schulman and executives from companies such as Priceline, Stripe, and Google’s parent company Alphabet met with Cuban entrepreneurs. Schulman attests the billions of dollars Cuba receives annually from remittances will be Xoom’s entry into the country. Remittances are money sent for goods, services or gifts, the basis of money transferring services such as PayPal’s Venmo and Western Union. Each year, Cuba receives $2 billion in remittances from the United States.

And get this: PayPal is so eager to do business with Cuba that they are lobbying its government and the U.S. Treasury Department to speed up the process so they can get in even sooner.

Also noting this Defcon-level hypocrisy is Michael Brown at Christian Post. He writes more about the North Carolina bill (HB2) and how PayPal has flip-flopped its decisions, exposing its political agenda (as if pining to be a part of a communist regime isn't bad enough):

PayPal made its plans to open new offices in Charlotte many months before the Charlotte bathroom bill was passed in February (and subsequently overturned). In other words, six months ago or one year ago, when all the laws were exactly as they are today, PayPal was quite happy to do business in Charlotte.

HB2 simply reversed a wrong-headed, potentially dangerous bill and put things back exactly as they were two months ago.

This begs the question: If the current law, which is identical with previous statutes, is so bad, why was PayPal so eager to do business in Charlotte before? Why is today different than one year ago? And who was stopping PayPal from setting up whatever standards it wanted in its own buildings and among its own employees?

It seems the only entity this blatant dishonesty is lost on is PayPal itself:

Quote:

Franklin Graham
14 hours ago

PayPal gets the hypocrite of the year award! This company says they’re not coming to North Carolina because the legislators and Gov. Pat McCrory have passed a law to protect women and children against sexual predators by not allowing men to use women’s restrooms and locker rooms.

Congressman Robert Pittenger made a great point yesterday: “PayPal does business in 25 countries where homosexual behavior is illegal, including 5 countries where the penalty is death, yet they objec... See More

Here is North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest telling PayPal not to let the door hit it on the way out:

"If our action in keeping men out of women's bathrooms and showers protected the life of just one child or one woman from being molested or assaulted, then it was worth it. North Carolina will never put a price tag on the value of our children. They are precious and priceless. If a corporation wanting to do business in North Carolina does not see the worth of our children in the sam light, then I wish them well as they do business somewhere else."

US-Cuba flight
Aug 31, 2016 - The first regularly scheduled commercial flight between the US and Cuba in 50 years is set to depart on Wednesday. JetBlue will fly from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Santa Clara, Cuba. Among the passengers will be US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and other officials. Regular travelers, including some of Cuban descent, will occupy nearly half the seats.

CJ

Russian listening station south of Havana.

Cuban missile crisis 2016
Oct 7, 2016 - Gee thanks Obama! Russia may re-launch military bases in Cuba and Vietnam which were closed in 2002. It would correspond with Russian interests to restore the bases in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa that were closed.
http://www.rt.com/news/361886-russia-bases-cuba-vietnam

CJ

Fidel Castrol dead - finally
Nov 26, 2016 - Fidel Castro, who ruled Cuba for 49 years, has died at the age of 90.
He rose to power in 1959 after a coup and transformed Cuba into the first communist country in the Western Hemisphere, only handing over to his brother Raul in 2008.

Castro promised the masses democracy and social justice, but lost traction when his regime proved repressive and dictatorial. He threw thousands of political dissidents into jail and forced a million people to flee Cuba.

In the 1950s, he allowed Nikita Krushchev to deploy Soviet nuclear missiles pointing at the United States on the island, saying the Cuban people were willing to sacrifice themselves. For two weeks in 1952, the world veered closer to nuclear war than ever before or since. But then, John Kennedy forced the Soviet leader to back down and remove the missiles.

BAY of PIGS INVASION
On January 1, 1959, a young Fidel Castro guerilla army entered Havana and overthrew General Fulgencio Batista, the American-backed president. April 1961, the CIA launched a full-scale invasion of Cuba by 1,400 American-trained Cubans who had fled their homes when Castro took over. However, they were badly outnumbered by Castro’s troops, and they surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting.

Many Cubans welcomed Fidel Castro’s 1959 overthrow of the dictatorial President Fulgencio Batista, yet the new order on the island just about 100 miles from the United States made American officials nervous. Batista had been a corrupt and repressive dictator, but he was considered to be pro-American and was an ally to U.S. companies. At that time, American corporations owned almost half of Cuba’s sugar plantations, cattle ranches, mines and utilities. Castro disapproved of the approach that Americans took to their business and interests in Cuba. It was time, he believed, for Cubans to assume more control of their nation.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/bay-of-pigs-invasion

Before his inauguration, John F. Kennedy was briefed on a plan by the CIA developed during the Eisenhower administration to train Cuban exiles for an invasion of their homeland. The plan anticipated that the Cuban people and elements of the Cuban military would support the invasion. The ultimate goal was the overthrow of Castro and the establishment of a non-communist government friendly to the United States.
https://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/The-Bay-of-Pigs.aspx

Even sadder, he's 6 feet under yelling for everyone to REPENT! Like the rich man in Luke 16, it's too late.

CJ

EU Cuba deal
Dec 12, 2016 - The European Union has signed a historic deal with Cuba on political dialogue and cooperation. Economic links with Europe will continue to be a priority for Cuba as we build a socialist economy. The agreement demonstrates that with good will and respect it is possible to make progress and resolve differences.
http://www.rt.com/news/369983-cuba-eu-deal-dialogue

CJ

Obama screwed Cubans
Jan 14, 2017 - Hellary's revenge as BH 0bama sends Cubans back to face torture and death. Miami Cubans voted for Prez Donald Trump. Many now stuck in transit. 0bama is guilty of every death. The Obama administration is ending the policy that granted residency to Cubans who arrived in the United States without visas.
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/3513355/posts

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CJ

U.S. Airlines Flee Cuba
Mar 16, 2017 - Cuba is a tourist hellhole. The service stinks, the amenities are gross, the place is thick with thieves and woman-gropers, the cost is high. The Caribbean is loaded with pleasant, accommodating destinations well worth a tourist's dollar for a vacation. Observers noticed Cuban customs officials rummaging through tourist luggage and taking what they wanted. When they complained, they were thrown in jail. Cockroaches in your breakfast cereal and bring your own toilet paper.
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/3535244/posts